The Boston Sunday Sports Section
Last Saturday night, I attended the Hot Stove Cool Music concert (HSCM) held at the legendary Paradise Rock Club in Boston with my friends Paul and Chris. The concert is a fundraiser for Paul (different Paul) and Theo Epstein’s Foundation to be Named Later, which supports underserved urban youth in Boston and Chicago.
Longtime Boston Globe scribe Peter Gammons founded the event. When he founded HSCM in 2000, Gammons had not performed on stage since 1969, when he graduated from UNC, and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Yet he had the courage to go onstage for that inaugural show. And he’s played in all 27 HSCM concerts with a rotating cast of bandmates.
“I always wanted to give back but did not play golf, and I saw the incredible & unique connection between music and baseball, so I invited some of my musically talented MLB friends to join in and play some music for charity,” Gammons shared with me via email.
In HSCM’s third year, a guitarist from the band Trauser also played in HSCM. He had recently been named General Manager of the Boston Red Sox. You might have heard of Theo Epstein.
At age 81, Gammons played just one song this year (see video), but I was reminded of Toby Keith’s (RIP) ‘As Good as I Once Was’ and its chorus that ends ‘I ain’t as good as I once was, but I’m as good once as I ever was.’
And while I am not sure how good Gammons once was on stage, as a baseball writer, nobody has ever done it better.
Peter Gammons leading his Hot Stove All-Stars. One All-Star band member not pictured is Fenway Park Organist Josh Kantor.
The old Boston Globe Sunday Sports Section inspired me to start The Boston Sunday Sports Section. When I reached out to folks for feedback, almost all of them said they loved the Boston Globe’s Sunday Sports Section and that it had become part of their Sunday routine.
One suggested I could probably not guess the room where he usually read it. I assured him I could, having once seen my work for The Daily Pennsylvanian floating face up in a toilet bowl.
And the vast majority, completely unsolicited, specifically mentioned loving Peter Gammons’s pioneering Sunday Notes column.
The Boston Globe Sunday Sports Section was a Sunday morning ritual for me as well.
Sunday was laundry day. Not having a washer/dryer in my apartment, I would lug my bag to the laundromat, put my clothes in the washer, buy the Sunday Globe at the nearby corner store, and eagerly bring it back to my third-floor walk-up at the corner of Harvard and Trowbridge. Weather permitting, I would read it on our wooden back deck (where I also used to grill, proving once again I am not a Mensa candidate).
I occasionally read the other sections of the paper too.
The Sunday Globe was the finest collection of sports writers ever assembled. The star-studded roster from 1980 through the early 2000s included Gammons, Bob Ryan, Leigh Montville, Will McDonough, Jackie MacMullan, Dan Shaughnessy, Leslie Visser, Kevin Paul DuPont, Ray Fitzgerald, Nick Cafardo, Gordon Edes, and part-time correspondent Bud Collins.
That is the 1927 Yankees of sports writing, with Gammons and Ryan slotting in as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.
To be clear, I am not in the same zip code, let alone ballpark, as any of these legends. But my goal with the Boston Sunday Sports Section is to evoke the same feeling you had when reading The Boston Globe Sunday Sports Section, and similarly, to become a part of your Sunday routine. The early returns have been positive.
And the Boston Sunday Sports Section was built for weeks like this that could only happen in Boston. Consider what is on the menu, and bookmark this page for The Watch Guide below, as there will be some decisions to make.
- This afternoon at TD Garden, the Celtics begin their quest for Banner 19 against old rival Philadelphia. Game 2 is Tuesday. The scene shifts from The City of Champions to The City of Cheesesteaks for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday.
- This evening, the Bruins start their own playoff run with an opportunity to upset division rival Buffalo. Game 2 is Tuesday, before the Bruins faithful rev up TD Garden for Games 3 and 4 on Thursday and Sunday.
- Tomorrow morning, coffee sales spike at Fenway for the annual 11 AM start on Patriots Day. Can the Red Sox start answering the more than twenty questions from their first twenty games?
- Tomorrow afternoon, fans line the streets of Boston to cheer on 30K runners gutting their way to the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The elite early finishers get the headlines, but your kids’ 4th-grade teacher running for the Jimmy Fund is what makes it special.
Special Note: This year, the field even includes one of the two astronauts who were stranded on the International Space Station for nine months, Needham’s own Suni Williams (see The Long Game).
- Tuesday through Thursday, the Yankees come to Fenway to renew baseball’s best rivalry.
- Thursday – Saturday, the focus on the Patriots shifts back to football as they go on the clock at 31 (unless they really run it back and make you stay up until midnight so Belichick’s dog can trade down for a supposed haul of picks that ultimately yields Ras-I Dowling, Tyquan Thornton, two sixth-round guards, and a handful of heirloom tomatoes).
Let’s dig in!
Not time to panic. But time to be concerned.
It is April 19th. The Red Sox are 8-12. It is early. There is time. Nobody is exactly running away with the AL East.
But there is also a lot to be concerned about with this team. The first twenty games have produced at least twenty questions. The biggest one surfaced Monday night in Minnesota. Garrett Crochet lasted 1⅔ innings, allowed 11 runs, struck out nobody, and watched his ERA balloon to 7.58. His fastball was down more than a full mile per hour. He generated three swings and misses on 55 total pitches.
Pitching coach Andrew Bailey called it “eye-opening.” Crochet and Alex Cora insist he is healthy, which leaves two explanations: he is hiding an injury, or he is tipping like Mo Vaughn at The Foxy Lady.
Hopefully, he is just tipping his pitches or working through a rough patch. Crochet goes down with a significant injury, and this team is done.
Crochet is not the only concern in the rotation. Sonny Gray’s strikeouts per nine innings are alarmingly down from 10 to 4.9. Brayan Bello has been shaky at best. Connelly Early’s 2.29 ERA looks good, but he has averaged less than five innings per start, and the advanced stats say the regression monster is coming for him big time.
| Category | 2026 Stat | 2026 MLB Rank | 2025 Stat | 2025 MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ERA | 4.27 | 22nd | 3.70 | 5th |
| K/9 | 8.0 | 23rd | 8.5 | 16th |
| BB/9 | 3.8 | 17th | 3.3 | 18th |
| HR Allowed/9 | 1.4 | 28th | 1.0 | 4th |
| Fielding % | .980 | 26th | .980 | 30th |
Then there are the roster construction issues. Four outfielders have left Jarren Duran with inconsistent playing time, which may be contributing to his slow start at the plate.
Trevor Story, at this stage in his career, is miscast as a shortstop. His 9th percentile range in 2026 is an improvement over his 3rd percentile range from 2025. And he is not making the routine plays either – tied for the American League lead in errors with four and an alarmingly lower fielding percentage (.944) than when he tied for the league lead in errors last year with 19 (.970).
And I had been starting to wonder whether Masataka Yoshida was only with the Red Sox because he had compromising photos of Alex Cora with a reporter from The Athletic. It appears, though, he has carved out a role as a pinch hitter when the opposition is playing five infielders after he dunked in a walk-off hit Friday night.
Wilson Contreras sat out on Wednesday after an injury scare. Andruw Monasterio, who has eight home runs in 614 career at-bats, filled in at first base.
This is a team with thin margins.
The young players who were supposed to take the next step have not. Roman Anthony is hitting .236 with a .692 OPS — well below where he was in 71 games as a rookie last year, let alone the quantum second-year leap many were projecting. His throws from left field look like he is skimming rocks on a pond.
I still fully expect Anthony to break out offensively. I am far less confident in Marcelo Mayer. Entering Saturday’s game, he had an OPS of .553 and a -.1 WAR, meaning he has been worse than a replacement-level player. Unfortunately, his replacement would be IKF.
If he is not injured, Garrett Crochet will likely right the ship. It is twenty games into a 162-game season. But the warning signs are there. Some, such as the lack of power and the poor roster construction, have been there since last season. And since Craig Breslow and Sam Kennedy are not Lord Voldemort, they shall be named for not finding better answers.
Rafaela is off to a hot start — but it looks nothing like his 2025 tear. Less power, more plate discipline. A smart analytical look at whether this version is sustainable.
The most important question of the Red Sox season so far, explored from every angle. Required reading before Sunday’s start against the Yankees.
The best early-season state-of-the-team piece — covers the pitching, the defense, the inconsistency, and why it’s somehow still only two games out of a Wild Card spot.
⭐ Breaking Down Garrett Crochet’s Tough Night With Rich Hill — NESN, Boston Has Entered The Chat
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New England Patriots
↑ TopDraft the best player. Not the biggest need.
Thursday night in the Steel City, the Patriots pick 31st in the 2026 NFL Draft. The stated needs are edge rusher, offensive line depth, and linebacker. Most mock drafts have them taking a pass rusher. Mike Vrabel said something different. Asked about his approach at 31, he answered: “Best player available, hopefully. Maybe we trade up. Maybe we trade out.”
He’s right.
When you are desperate, you go looking for love in all the wrong places. The NFL Draft is the same way. When teams draft for need, they often regret it. When they get the best player available, even if he does not fill an immediate need, they build something.
Let’s make the case from recent Patriots history.
Your honor, I present Exhibit A: N’Keal Harry.
He was 6’4″ and had good college tape on 50/50 balls. The problem was that all his balls were 50/50 because he could not separate from a tackling dummy, let alone an NFL cornerback. Harry lasted three years, never topped 309 receiving yards in a season, and made one boneheaded play after the next.
When the Patriots have reached for a position, they have often gotten burned. Ja’Lynn Polk. Tyquan Thornton. Ras-I Dowling. Laurence Maroney. Must I go on?
When they’ve trusted the board, they’ve built dynasties. In 2005, they drafted Logan Mankins at guard when it wasn’t a glaring need — he went on to nine Pro Bowls.
In 2012, they weren’t desperate for a defensive end or a linebacker — and drafted Chandler Jones and Dont’a Hightower anyway, because both were the best players available. Both became cornerstones. Hightower made game-changing plays in two Super Bowl wins — his still underappreciated tackle of Marshawn Lynch on the one-yard line just before ‘Malcolm Go’ and his strip sack of Matt Ryan as perhaps the most pivotal play in the 28-3 comeback.
In 2023, ESPN listed offensive tackle as the Patriots’ number one need and cornerback second. When Christian Gonzalez unexpectedly fell into their laps, the Patriots selected him. Last year, wide receiver was the bigger stated need heading into the second round, but they took the best player on their board, TreVeyGone Henderson.
Belichick’s consigliere Ernie Adams recently said, “Whoever you take there is going to be on your team, you’re married to it unless it’s a disaster. So we’re trying to answer the question, ‘Who has the best chance to help us win football games?’ Which comes down to best player there. You might say, ‘We need a linebacker in the worst way’ and there’s an OK linebacker but a big-time offensive lineman. Then when you draft him, what you have is an average linebacker and you just passed up a really good player.
Two years from now, nobody is going to think, ‘Did they fill a need?’ They’ll say, ‘Wow, they got a really good player.'”
Good teams let the board come to them.
Draft the best football player. The position of need will take care of itself.
The definitive Patriots-specific draft guide — who fits the scheme, who fits the culture, and who could be there at 31.
Wolf on the class strengths, the weaker secondary depth, and how New England is matching needs with available talent heading into Thursday night.
The longtime Patriots research director makes the best player available case better than anyone. Essential reading the night before the draft.
▶ Patriots Catch-22: Eliot Wolf Presser Takeaways, Live Mock Draft & Latest Draft Buzz — YouTube
▶ David Andrews Breaks Down the Top Offensive Linemen in the 2026 Draft — NBC Sports Boston, The Next Pats
Only Magic Did It Better.
Remember when people questioned whether the Jays could win together?
Remember all the calls to send Jaylen Brown packing?
Among NBA All-Stars in league history, only Magic Johnson has averaged more playoff wins per season than Tatum and Brown. Not LeBron. Not Bird. Not Jordan.
In the seven first-round playoff series they’ve played in together, they are 7-0. They’ve reached the conference finals together five times. They’ve been to the Finals twice. They won a championship in 2024.
But the story of this team isn’t just the Jays. Derrick White has finished first in the Eastern Conference in plus/minus three of the past four seasons, including this one, and is a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Neemias Queta stepped into the starting center role after the departures of Porzingis, Horford, and Kornet, and finished 4th in the NBA in net rating among players who played at least 60 games, trailing only Wemby, SGA, and Chet Holmgren.
Sam Hauser runs hot and cold like a locker room shower, but when he is on, watch out. Baylor Scheierman has developed into a solid contributor.
Payton Pritchard is the Picasso of Buzzer Beaters.
And we undersold Joe Mazzulla last week by noting he had won 50 games in four straight years. Turns out he has won at least 56 games in each of the four years he has coached.
Tatum and Brown have been together for 9 years. They are both in their primes.
Nobody can take away Banner 18. But winning only one championship with this résumé starts to feel like the 1990s Atlanta Braves. This year’s team can absolutely win Banner 19.
The definitive local preview of the series. Tatum’s return, the Maxey matchup, and why the Celtics should cruise — if they keep their foot on the gas.
Twenty-plus years of playoff coverage distilled into the key factors that will decide this series. The Sixers’ clutch-time defense is the one number worth worrying about.
Meet the Stay Ready Crew — Walsh, Harper, and Garza. They put in the work, earned the love of the fans, and in the playoffs, you never know when your number gets called.
▶ White Noise Ep. 27: Baylor Scheierman on Going Mid-Major to the NBA — Derrick White · YouTube
Buffalo waited 14 years for this. Boston has been here before.
The Buffalo Sabres landed in Buffalo at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 15 after a West Coast road trip; by lunchtime, the rumors were confirmed, and Jarmo Kekäläinen replaced Kevyn Adams as general manager.
The Sabres were a .500 team. They had just gotten their first regular-season regulation road win the night before. By all rights, the new GM could have pulled a Jim Mora — Playoffs?
In his introductory press conference, Kekäläinen was equally honest, saying the Sabres had often been outworked. But he also gave his talented but still-last-place team the ultimate vote of confidence: “I firmly believe we can make the playoffs this year.”
His confidence was well placed. The Sabres ended an NHL-record 14-year playoff drought. And they did so in such spectacular fashion that Sabres Mafia (don’t all Buffalo teams have a Mafia?) crowded the airport when the team returned home after clinching the playoff spot in Washington.
Sandwiching the GM change, the Sabres tied a franchise record by reeling off ten consecutive wins. Over a 40-game stretch through March 20th, they went 32-6-2 — the best 40-game stretch since the 1995–96 Red Wings and the 4th most wins over a 40-game span in NHL history. Two of the three teams ahead of them were Bruins teams — the 1929–30 Stanley Cup Champions and the 1970–71 group upset by Montreal in the playoffs.
And like those Canadiens, the Bruins have a real chance of upsetting the Atlantic Division Champion Sabres. It starts in goal, as it typically does in the NHL playoffs.
In his career, Swayman is 8-1-1 against Buffalo with a .925 save percentage and a remarkable 1.88 GAA. The quickest way to a playoff upset is to have your goalie stand on his head — as Swayman did at times in the 2024 playoffs.
In contrast, Buffalo goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (talk about a Wheel of Fortune puzzle where you’d like Vanna White to light up a K) is a more pedestrian 6-4-2 versus the Bruins with a .892 save percentage and a 3.45 GAA. He also has zero playoff experience, like many of his teammates.
With 5-on-5 goals often at a premium in the playoffs, special teams can take on added importance. This is a series of strengths against strengths and weaknesses versus weaknesses. The Bruins ranked 9th on the power play, though they struggled down the stretch, while the Sabres ranked 4th on the penalty kill. Conversely, Buffalo ranked 20th on the power play while Boston ranked 24th on the PK.
The Sabres have the edge in speed, depth, defensive structure, home ice, and youthful energy. The Bruins have the best player in the series in Pastrnak, a favorable matchup in goal, in size, and a decided edge in playoff experience.
They won three out of four versus Buffalo in the regular season. Expect a physical, tough, close series.
To quote the legendary boxing referee Mills Lane: ‘Let’s Get It On.’
The oral history of the Sabres’ drought-busting season, told by the players themselves. Understanding this story makes tonight’s Game 1 appointment viewing.
The local comprehensive preview — covers Geekie’s hot finish, McAvoy’s career year, the Pastrnak matchup, and a series prediction. Best single-stop read before Game 1.
More actionable than most previews — covers the Swayman advantage, what needs to happen with the Pastrnak line, and why this series is closer than the seeding suggests.
▶ Billy Jaffe explains why the Bruins can upset the Sabres — NESN analyst on Jones & Keefe. If you watch one thing before Game 1 tonight, make it this.
One place. Every game. Every network. No hunting.
| Sun 4/19 |
Mon 4/20 |
Tue 4/21 |
Wed 4/22 |
Thu 4/23 |
Fri 4/24 |
Sat 4/25 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🏀 Celtics | G1 vs. PHI 1:00 PM · ABC |
— | G2 vs. PHI 7:00 PM · NBCSN/Peacock |
— | — | G3 @ PHI 7:00 PM · Prime |
— |
| ⚾ Red Sox | vs. DET 4:35 PM · NESN |
vs. DET 11:10 AM · NESN |
vs. NYY 6:45 PM · TBS/NESN+ |
vs. NYY 6:45 PM · NESN/MLBN |
vs. NYY 6:10 PM · FOX/NESN+ |
@ BAL 7:05 PM · NESN |
@ BAL 4:05 PM · NESN |
| 🏒 Bruins | G1 @ BUF 7:30 PM · ESPN |
— | G2 @ BUF 7:30 PM · ESPN |
— | G3 vs. BUF 7:00 PM · TNT |
— | — |
| 🏈 Patriots | — | — | — | — | Draft R1 8:00 PM · ESPN |
Draft R2-3 7:00 PM · ESPN |
Draft R4-7 Noon · ESPN |
| 🏃 Marathon | — | 130th B.A.A. 9:00 AM · ESPN2 |
— | — | — | — | — |
🔑 Celtics: Game 1 vs. Philadelphia today at 1pm on ABC. Games 3 & 4 in Philly on Friday and next Sunday.
🔑 Red Sox: Tigers this weekend, then three straight vs. the Yankees at Fenway Tuesday–Thursday. First measuring stick series of the year.
🔑 Bruins: Game 1 tonight at 7:30pm in Buffalo on ESPN. The Bruins are underdogs. Swayman is not.
🔑 Patriots: NFL Draft Round 1 is Thursday night at 8pm. The Patriots pick 31st. Draft the best player available.
When Dennis Eckersley broadcast Red Sox games for NESN, you almost needed an “Ecktionary” to keep up with all his trademark phrases. From “Three Run Johnson” to “Going Bridge” to “High Cheese” to “Gas Masterson,” Eck had a lexicon all his own.
Did you know, though, that as a player, he coined the term walk-off? Glenn Geffner, who does a remarkable job unearthing the hidden gems of baseball history for his Substack Extra Innings, shares that Eckersley later told the Boston Globe:
“Like something you would hang in an art gallery. The walk-off piece is a horrible piece of art.”
The “walk-off piece” was describing the pitcher walking off the mound in defeat — as opposed to its now triumphant meaning.
Interestingly, given Masa’s Friday night Fenway Green magic, in Japan the term “Sayonara hit” or “Sayonara home run” traces back to 1947 — over four decades before Eck’s new term.
For the full story, check out Geffner’s full piece.
Running Boston From 250 Miles Up
Tomorrow on Patriots Day, 30,000 runners from 137 countries will make their way from Hopkinton to Boylston Street, each carrying a story.
Patriots Day is a Massachusetts holiday that honors New England Patriots such as Tom Brady, Julian Edelman, and Rob Gronkowski. Brady led his troops to six Super Bowl victories, famously audibling from “one is by land” to “two is by air.” They didn’t worry about “three is by sea” because Gronk could only count to two.
Around 4,700 of the runners hail from Massachusetts. Some are running for a loved one. Some are running for a cause. Some are running because Boston is the kind of race that finds you — and won’t let go. But of all the stories crossing that finish line tomorrow, there is none quite like Needham’s Suni Williams.
▶ Read “She Ran The Boston Marathon In Space. Now She’s Running The Real Thing.” — Marathon Handbook — Free (~5 min) →Thanks for reading Issue 2 of The Boston Sunday Sports Section. If you’re not yet a subscriber, we’d love to have you. And if you enjoyed it, please share it with your fellow Boston sports fans.